Quebec Experience Class

If you have studied or worked in the province of Quebec, you may be eligible to immigrate under this fast-track Canadian immigration program.

There are two categories under the Quebec Experience Class (Programme de l’expérience Québécoise, or PEQ): one for foreign students and another for individuals with work experience in Quebec.

Immigration to Quebec is a two-step process in which an applicant first applies for a Certificat de sélection du Québec (also know as a Quebec Selection Certificate or "CSQ"), a document that allows the holder to immigrate to Quebec. Once the applicant obtains a CSQ, he or she must then submit an application to Citizenship and Immigration Canada for federal approval before the Canadian Immigration (Permanent Resident) Visa can be issued. Federal immigration authorities will primarily be responsible for processing criminal and medical checks.

Potential applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria for the PEQ, but who have experience working or studying in Quebec, may also be eligible to apply for a CSQ through the Quebec Skilled Worker Program.

Foreign Students

Foreign students in Quebec will be eligible to apply under this program if they meet the following requirements:

The student must have obtained a degree or diploma from an educational institution recognized by the Quebec Ministry of Education within the past 36 months;

The student must have studied in Quebec for at least 1,800 hours (two years);

The student must show that he or she has successfully completed an advanced intermediate level French course at a Quebec educational institution, if his or her studies were not completed in French, or prove French ability by way of a standardized language test recognized by the government of Quebec.

Temporary Foreign Workers

Temporary Foreign Workers in Quebec will be eligible to apply under this program if they meet the following requirements:

The worker must have 12 months of work experience in Quebec in a skilled, managerial, or professional occupation in the 24 months prior to submission of the application;

The worker must be employed and show legal status in Quebec at the time of his or her application;

The worker must show that he or she has successfully completed an advanced intermediate level French course at a Quebec educational institution, if his or her studies were not completed in French, or prove French ability by way of a standardized language test recognized by the government of Quebec. Alternatively, he or she can show that he or she has satisfied the French language requirements of the professional order governing his or her occupation in Quebec.

Quebec immigration authorities expect the assessment of applications under the PEQ to be completed on a fast-track basis.

It is important to note that all applications from individuals who have obtained a CSQ are then processed in a separate priority queue at the federal level.